Role Summary
The (Senior) Manager of Stewardship & Advancement is a high-impact leadership role designed to transform alumni goodwill into institutional legacy. You will be the architect of the Endowment Fund and the primary bridge between alumni-led corporate entities and the student body. Your goal is to secure the institute's future through sustainable funding and to enrich the student journey through high-value alumni interventions. This is an Individual Contribution role and not a Team management role.
Location: Based in Delhi (Shared services resource with frequent travel to Kolkata and Bhubaneswar)
Reports to: Head of Alumni Relations
Key Responsibilities
1. Endowment & Scholarship Strategy
- Fund Architecture: Design and execute multi-year strategies to scale the Institute's Endowment Fund.
- Major Gift Stewardship: Identify and nurture relationships with high-net-worth alumni to establish perpetual merit and need-based scholarships.
- Sustainability: Ensure the growth of the corpus aligns with the institute's long-term financial goals.
2. Corporate-Alumni Ecosystems
- Strategic Tie-ups: Leverage alumni in C-suite or founder roles to create institutional partnerships.
- Opportunity Pipeline: Facilitate warm leads for live projects, internships, and high-priority placement opportunities for current students.
3. High-Impact Student Engagement
- Professional Development: Orchestrate Life-After-Campus workshops and industry-immersion sessions led by distinguished alumni.
- Mentorship Framework: Build a structured, high-value mentorship program that pairs students with industry leaders.
4. Program Innovation & Grants
- New Ventures: Conceptualize and operationalize Student Incubation Funds, Research Grants, and Alumni-led seed funds.
- Value Addition: Continuously evaluate the academic curriculum to identify gaps where alumni expertise can add value.
5. Impact Stewardship & Reporting
- Donor Transparency: Maintain a gold-standard reporting system that provides donors with clear data on the impact of their contributions.
- Recognition Programs: Develop donor recognition societies and events to celebrate and retain contributors.
Experience Profile
- 10–12+ years with a proven track record of growing a corpus fund or leading significant institutional partnerships.
Educational Qualifications
- Qualification (Post-Graduation):Preferred a MBA or Master's in Institutional Advancement, Public Policy, or Non-Profit Management. A post-graduate degree is highly preferred as it provides the candidate with the academic maturity required to engage with senior alumni (C-suite executives and Founders) on an equal footing.
Professional Certifications (Added Advantage) These certifications signal that the candidate understands the global standards of Advancement (the professional term for university fundraising and stewardship):
- CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Executive): The gold standard for individuals managing endowments and large-scale philanthropic gifts.
- AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals) Certification: Demonstrates a commitment to ethical and effective fundraising practices.
- Financial Planning/Wealth Management (e.g., CFP): Highly valuable for the Endowment portion of the role, as it helps the manager discuss tax-efficient giving and corpus growth with donors.
- CRM Expertise (Salesforce/HubSpot/Blackbaud): Certification in donor management systems is a major plus for tracking the stewardship pipeline
